Raisin pick up machine

ABSTRACT

A machine for picking up and recovering raisins lying on a paper strip on the ground has a carriage advancing along the strip to pick up the end of and tension the strip as the carriage advances. From the raised part of the tensioned strip, the raisins are brushed into a receiver. An elevating conveyor and presser wheel at the front of the machine aid in starting the paper strip into the tensioner.

United States Patent 1191 Olmo et al. 1 Oct. 2, 1973 1 1 RAlSlN PICK UPMACHINE 2,753,981 7/1956 Madeira 198/186 [75 Inventors: Harold P. Olmo;Henry E. Studer,

both of Davis Calif Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan AssistantExaminer-Frank E. Werner [73] Assignee: The Regents of the University ofAttorney-Marcus Lothrop et al.

California, Berkeley, Calif.

[22] Filed: Dec. 10, 1971 57 ABSTRACT A machine for picking up andrecovering raisins lying on a paper strip on the ground has a carriageadvancing along the strip to pick up the end of and tension the [52] US.Cl 214/1 R, 198/186, 214/519 [51] Int. Cl 860p 1/00 Strip as thecarriage advances- From the raised P of [58] Field of Search 198/186;214/83, the tensioned strip, the raisins are brushed into a 214/519,1 Rceiver. An elevating conveyor and presser wheel at the front of themachine aid in starting the paper strip into References Cited hetensioner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1,375,704 4/1921Kendall 198/186 1,636,986 7/1927 Caldwell 198/186 53 m e 5 57 24' f 543e a 62 a, 7 33 2/ 2 37 55 59 i 5 32. I l4 Q I O 1 a3 2 Z; 22 42. 6 4 f4/ r 9 4/ 58., V a f l l 1 22. 23 2e /8 RAISIN PICK UP MACHINE In US.Pat. No. 3,587,931 issued June 28,1971 and in a companion applicationfiled by us on Dec. 13, 1971 Scr. No. 207,133 and entitled Raisin GrapeSpreader", there is disclosed a scheme for field drying grapes detachedfrom the vine by depositing them on a long strip of paper, usually leftto lie on the ground in the vineyard between adjacent rows of vines. Thepaper is spread from a roll onto the ground shortly before the pickedgrapes are deposited thereon. That manner of operation is intended tosupersede thepresently utilized system of providing a number ofindividual Z-feet by 3-feet paper trays in the field and onto which thegrapes are piled, necessitating considerable hand labor in depositingthe grapes in the first instance, further hand labor in turning andarranging the grapes as they are drying into raisins, and finally forremoving the raisined grapes from the trays.

It is advisable under present circumstances to reduce as much aspossible the need for manual labor in a vineyard, to provide alargedrying area for the grapes to be turned into raisins in order thatthe layer of grapes may be of small thickness and obviate the turningstep heretofore used, and toprovide a moreexpeditious, sanitary andcheaper way of harvesting raisined grapes.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a machine whichis useful, after the machine of our copending application has beenutilized, to go through'the vineyard between the grape rows and toretrieve the then-raisined grapes from the previously deposited strip ofpaper, sometimes referred to as a tray.

Another object of the invention is to provide-such a machine that can beoperated by a single person of only normal skill-and which can easily bestarted at thebeginning of each strip or row and which can easily bestopped at the end of the strip or row.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means of recoveringraisins from a continuous paper strip in such a way that surroundingearth, debris and the like are not picked up, so that the raisins arerecovered in quite clean form and do not require substantial additionaltreatment. r

A further object of the invention is to provide a raisin pick up machinethat is readily adapted to use in present vineyard, that is' low ininitial cost and reasonable in maintenance and upkeep.

Other objects of the invention together with theforegoing are attainedin the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation, the near side of the machinebeing removed, of a raisin pick up machine constructed pursuant to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a detail to an enlarged scale showing a portion of thestructure in the vicinity of the paper driving and'tensioningmechanism;

FIG. 3 is a detail in plan of thepaper confining mechanism, the paperstrip and some adjacent mechanism being omitted for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a modified construction;

FIG. 5 is another view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a further, modifiedconstruction; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1, in part, showing a modifiedconstruction.

The use of a substantially continuous strip of paper lying on the groundfor supporting grapes during raisining was proposed by John Stanley andis shown in Abernathy and Lamouria US. Pat. No. 2,869,284 issued Jan.20, 1959. While the description and claims herein refer to a paperstrip, it is to be understood that they are intended to refer to anyother substantially continu- -ous supporting medium which is utilized asor in place In the present instance the device includes a carriagegenerally designated 6 having a main frame 7 supported from the ground 8on front dirigible wheels 9 under the control through a steering wheel11 of an operator occupying a seat 12. The frame 7 is likewise supportedon rear ground-engaging wheels 1-3 appropriately driven by a hydraulicmotor 14 receiving hydraulic pressure fluid from an engine-drivenhydraulic sup ply system 16 represented by a rectangle. This systemlikewise supplies hydraulic pressure fluid under the usual operatorcontrols for various of the instrumentalitieson the carriage.

The tread or transverse span of the wheels 9 and I3 is sufficientlynarrow to fit between the customary rows of-grape vines but is wideenough to have the wheels -runat opposite sides ofbut off'of a paperstrip-17 lying on theground'8 and initially carrying the raisined grapesthereon.

For use when the machine is initially lined up to.

move downanaisle between two rows of grapes,-there is providedanauxiliary frame 18 extending generally a pivot and being supported atany selected height'by a pair of hydraulic jacks 21. By maneuveringthejacks,

the inclination of the frame 18 about the cross shaft 19 can be altered.The forward erid of the frame l8 ineludes extended teeth-22 designed torun on or slightly under the surface of the ground 8 when the frame 18is in its lower position. When the frame is in an upper position, theteeth 22 are a substantial distance above the ground and do not disturbit. 7

Designed to operate on the auxiliary frame 18' about a pair of rollers23 and 24 at the opposite ends thereof is a first belt conveyor'26. Thistightly engages the two rollers-23 and'24, the upper one of which has adrive belt 27 leading from a hydraulic motor 28. When the motor 2 8 isenergized, the belt conveyor 26 is operated so that the upper runthereof ascends the, auxiliary frame from a point near the ground andjust behind the teeth 22 to a point near the center-of the main frame 7.

As the machine or carriage is started at the beginning of a row, theoperator permits the frame 18 to assume its lowermost position, so thatthe paper strip 17 or tray is lifted by the teeth 22 onto the upper runof the con veyor belt 26.

To prevent slippage of the strip on the conveyor belt. and to assurethat the strip 17 ascends the conveyoras the machine advances, there isprovided a plurality of presser-wheels'3l mounted on a boom 32 at oneend connected by a pivot shaft 33 to the main frame7 and having itsposition regulated by a settable lever 34. The wheels 31 convenientlyare of soft rubber or alternatively are pneumatic tires. They can bemoved in unison from a position spaced substantially above the frame 18,even in the raised position of the frame, to another lower location inwhich the wheels 31 are in contact with the upper run of the belt 26 (ora paper strip thereon) and are urged downwardly by the weight of thewheels.

'With this arrangement and with the machine advancing, as soon as thepaper strip 17 rises over the teeth 22 and enters between the upper runof the belt 26 and the surface of the wheels 31, the paper iscontinuously held down against the belt by the wheels. The belt upperrun is moved rearwardly at a speed about five to ten per cent fasterthan the machine advances, so that there is a net pull toward the reartending to tension the pickedup paper. The paper thus is fed rearwardlyand upwardly as the carriage 6 advances. This operation continues untilthe end of the paper strip arrives in the vicinity of a turning drum 36mounted on a cross shaft 37 on the main frame. The drum 36 is of asubstantial radius and preferably is reasonably smooth, being coveredwith a very soft rubber layer about one-half inch thick. Adjacent theturning drum is a backing drum 38 also covered with soft rubber andmounted on a cross shaft 39. The soft-surfaced drums are mounted closetogether, so that the two drums are normally in sufficiently closecontact to act as a gripping means for the paper strip.

The drum 38 is driven from a hydraulic motor 41 having a belt connection42 to that drum. By friction the drum 36 is also driven. The motor 41 issupplied with hydrauic fluid through a valve 43 having a controller 44for use by the carriage operator, so that by varying the position of thecontroller 44 the operator may increase or decrease the torque imposedby the motor 41 on the drum 38 and also on the drum 36.

When the end of the paper strip, or tray, has risen substantially to thetopmost portion of the conveyor 26 and has passed slightly beyond theabove the turning drum 36, the end of the strip comes under apositioning bar 46. This extends transversely and is carried by arms 47pivotally mounted on the frame 7 eccentrically of the cross shaft 37.The bar 46 is manually movable between a normal, lower position, asshown by full lines in FIG. 2, and an upper position, indicated by thedotted'lines 48 in FIG. 2. The bar 46 can easily be manually held ineither of its extreme positions and can freely be swung between them. Asthe paper rides over the uppersurface of the turning drum 36, the paperrides under the bar 46 held in its upper position. The operator thendrops the bar 46 to its lowermost position. The paper strip is thuswrapped around a portion of the turning drum 36 and is fed between thatdrum 36 and the backing drum 38. As soon as the paper strip is grippedbetween the two drums (which yield slightly because of their soft rubbersurfaces to permit the paper to pass through), the drum tensioning feedhas been initiated and the bar 46 may or may not be raised ready for asubsequent operation.

At this point the presser wheels 31 may be lifted or may remain in lowerposition since they are light and do no damage. The motor 28 driving thefirst belt conveyor 26 may be stopped but usually is let run. Moreimportantly, the operator controls the motor 41 so that the motor exertssufficient torque on the drum 38 to keep the paper strip 17 undertension. Preferably, the tension is great enough so that the nearportion of the strip and its load are raised approximately in a catenarycurve. The load of raisins on the paper tray stretching out ahead of themachine is sufficient to hold the paper strip against sliding along theground and against a reasonable tension put upon the paper strip by thetensioning drum 38. The tension is kept on the paper strip as themachine advances, the operator from time to time operating thecontroller 44, if necessary, to make sure that a proper tension ismaintained despite variations in the speed of advance of the carriage.

The effect of tensioning the paper is to hold much of the strip in theair and some distance above the ground. Consequently the frame 18 can beraised to lift the teeth 22 from the ground to avoid stirring up dustand debris. The catenary drape of the paper merges with the uppersurface of the conveyor belt 26 in the vicinity of the wheels 31 andstretches out a number of feet ahead of the machine. The paper isprogressively so lifted as the machine advances, thus does not easilyreceive any clods or earth or other debris from the ground by directaccess. The lift is steady and gentle, so little or no dust is stirredup to settle on the paper strip. The raisins on the upper surface of thestrip are not disturbed because the presser wheels 31 are light enougheasily to ride over the raisins without damage. What arrives at the topof the turning drum 36 is a substantially flat width of paper strip withraisins distributed thereover with good uniformity since the liftingprocess is gentle andthe raisins do not shift position as the strip islifted and taken in. Some strips when initially laid down are giventemporarily or permanently upturned marginal edges. Such flanged paperstrips, in approaching and rounding the turning drum 36, revert to orresume their initial, transversely flat contour.

There are conditions, especially winds, that may require morerestrictive handling of the paper strip. Although only one center wheel31 is actually needed to hold the strip under calm conditions, it ispreferred to use the three wheels shown and to mount the outer Somepaper handling alternatives are provided espe-- cially for use undersevere or adverse conditions. As particularly shown in FIG. 4, the boom32 and its associated structure, including the central wheel 31, remainsas before except that a special axle 35 has its ends angled outwardlyand forwardly to carry the outer wheels 31a and 31b so that, althoughstill freely rotatable, they toe in forwardly and thus, as they revolveagainst the outer portions of the ascending paper,impose outward,spreading forces thereon tending not only to hold the paper firmly inposition but also tending to smooth out and flatten any inadvertentfolds and wrinkles.

A somewhat more elaborate arrangement may be employed as shown in FIG.5. On the pivot shaft 33 the boom arms 32 extend forwardly as before,but instead of supporting wheels, such as 31, carry a shaft 35b forrotation and powered to turn counterclockwise, as seen in FIG. 6, by acrossed drive belt 28b driven from the hydraulic motor 28. On the shaft35b in symmetry with the center thereof are oppositely wound helicalmembers 32a and 32b. When these are rotated in contact with theunderlying paper they exert laterally spreading forces on the papertending to smooth it as before. Both of the devices in FIGS. 4 and 5also exert some laterally spreading forces on any raisin layerencountered but this is a small amount and is not detrimental and mayeven be beneficial in contributing to a uniformly thick layer.

Additional hold-down means may be provided. On each side of the frame 18brackets 51 (FIG. 3) are provided holding forwardly and rearwardlyextending pressers 52 designed to bear upon the paper edges. The presserends are slightly curved to cam against any curved or curled paper edgesand to deflect them and hold them flat against the conveyor beltvirtually until the paper engages the turning drum 36. The paper is thusprecisely controlled throughout its width despite previous flanging,wind and other dislodging forces.

Instead of being mounted directly on the auxiliary frame 18, a pair ofbrackets 51a, corresponding to the brackets 51 and carrying the pressers52, are fast on the legs of an inverted yoke 52a mounted to slide up anddown in sleeves 53a secured to the auxiliary frame 18. A bell crank 54ais mounted to pivot on the post of the seat-l2. One forked end engagesthe yoke 52a and the other end carries an operating knob. Normally, theweight of the assembly keeps the pressers effectively engaging thepaper. Occasionally the paper may advance with torn or defective edgesand tend to ride over the pressers. Observing the approach of such tornedges, the operator can operate the bell crank 54a momentarily to liftthe pressers and then permit them to lower, after the torn or improperportion of the paper has passed, onto a smooth paper surface.

To remove the raisins from the paper strip rounding the drum 36 may notrequire any additional mechanism. The force of gravity may be enough.That is, the raisins can be permitted to fall off of the rounded stripinto a receiver. We have found in practice that sometimes the raisinstend to adhere to the paper strip and donot fall freely. For that reasonwe provide on the carriage frame 7 above the tensioner drum 36 a tinedrum 53 This is a center core with a number of substantially radialmetal fingers etending therefrom, or a nylon or like bristle brush of acircular-cylindrical configuration. The brush is mounted for rotation ona cross shaft 54 carried on the main frame 7. The tine ends are close tothe surface of the paper strip going around the turning drum. The brushis rotated by means of a belt 56 extending from the shaft 54.to a drivemotor 57 operated from thehydraulic source 16.

As the raisin-bearing paper strip rounds the turning drum 36, the brush53 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2,and assists in dislodging the raisins, either as individuals or asbunches, from the strip and helps them to transfer to and deposit on atransverse conveyor 58 suitably driven across the framework by ahydraulic motor 59. From the conscreen table can be provided at the endof the conveyor or can be incorporated in the conveyor itself by use ofopen wire mesh belting so that sand, leaf particles and the like canseparate from the fruit during the elevating and transfer operation.

Sometimes raisins cling to the paper and then transfer to the backingdrum 38. These are removed by a member 64 serving as a scraper blade.The member 64 is mounted between a pair of arms 66 on the frame 7 and isheld close to the surface of the drum 38.

It has been found that if the backing drum 38 is covered with rubber,the raisins do not adhere thereto and the member 64 can be dispensedwith as a scraper. However, it has also been found that under someconditions the paper itself, due to static electric charge, may tend toadhere to rather than readily separate from the drum. For that reasonthe metal member 64 is retained and serves as a static discharging orgrounding device as well as a device for mechanically stripping thepaper so that the paper tracks and separates properly from the drum.Drums or rollers in addition to the drum 38 can be similarly treated.

After leaving the drum 38, the unloaded paper falls of its own weightonto the ground 8 and can be disposed of in various ways; for example,by burning, by maceration and incorporation into the soil, or byrerolling for subsequent use.

If the machine as a whole is not travelling forwardly but still ispulling in the paper strip from the ground, the discharged paper tendsto pile up, accordion fashion, under the drums 36 and 38. If it pileshigh enough it may adhere to and become wound around the roller 36. Thisunwanted action may be fostered by static electrical charges built upbetween the paper and the machine. To overcome this'difficulty, there ispreferably provided, as shown in FIG. 6, a rotary brush 28c (a shaftcovered by a rubber sheet having protruding rubber fingers) in closeproximity to the drums 36 and 38. This is rotated clockwise, as seen inFIG. 6, by a belt drive from the hydraulic motor 28 and prevents excess,discharged paper from entangling in the drums 36 and 38.

As the machine approaches the end of the vine row, the load on the papertray or strip is not sufficient to hold the strip in place, and thestrip tends to travel over the ground toward the machine. So that thisdoes not occur to an excessive degree, the operator at this junc turestops the conveyor belt 26 and lowers the auxiliary frame 18 until theteeth 22 again engage the ground. He also adjusts the speed of thebacking drum 38 to reduce the tension on the paper strip, which is thenslowly drawn into the machine as the catenary curve is relaxed and thepaper is moved over the conveyor 26 as a support as the machineadvances. Finally, the paper end runs through the space between thedrums 36 and 38 and drops. The machine turns into another aisle, theconveyor 26 is again started by energizing the motor 28, and the presserwheels 31 are again lowered, if they were previously raised. The advanceof the machine with the teeth 22 on or slightly below the ground surfacepicks up the end of the loaded paper strip 17 in the next aisle, asbefore, and the process is repeated.

What is claimed is:

1. A raisin pick up machine for use with raisins disposed on anelongated strip of paper having spaced ends and lying on the groundcomprising a carriage 1 having a wheel engaging the ground, means forrotating said wheel to advance said carriage along the ground in thedirection of the strip, means on said carriage for gripping said strip,and means on said carriage independent of said wheel rotating means foroperating said gripping means to tension said strip between the groundand said gripping means.

2. A device as in claim 1 in which said operating means is operable toregulate said tension independently of said advance of said carriage.

3. A device as in claim 1 in which said gripping means includes a pairof drums, and said operating means drives at least one of said drums atselected speeds independent of the speed of advance of said carriage.

4. A device as in claim 3 including a conveyor on said carriage in thevicinity of the discharge side of said drums.

S. A device as in claim 3 including a bar disposed parallel to saiddrums, and means on said carriage for pivotally housing said bar toswing away from and toward one of said drums for guiding said paperstrip around said one of said drums and between said drums.

6. A devide as in claim 3 including a scraper in scraping relationshipwith one of said drums.

7. A device as in claim 3 including a brush positioned to brush raisinsfrom said tensioned strip.

8. A device as in claim 1 including a belt conveyor mounted to extendforwardly of said carriage and to support said strip of paper betweenthe ground and said gripping means, and means on said carriage fordriving said conveyor.

9. A device as in claim 8 including a presser wheel adapted to rest onthe upper run of said belt conveyor.

10. A device as in claim 9 including means for lifting and lowering saidpresser wheel.

11. A device as in claim 8 including means for lifting and lowering saidbelt conveyor.

12. A device as in claim 1 in which said operating means is effective totension said strip sufficiently to lift said strip into a substantiallycatenary curve.

1. A raisin pick up machine for use with raisins disposed on anelongated strip of paper having spaced ends and lying on the groundcomprising a carriage having a wheel engaging the ground, means forrotating said wheel to advance said carriage along the ground in thedirection of the strip, means on said carriage for gripping said strip,and means on said carriage independent of said wheel rotating means foroperating said gripping means to tension said strip between the groundand said gripping means.
 2. A device as in claim 1 in which saidoperating means is operable to regulate said tension independently ofsaid advance of said carriage.
 3. A device as in claim 1 in which saidgripping means includes a pair of drums, and said operating means drivesat least one of said drums at selected speeds independent of the speedof advance of said carriage.
 4. A device as in claim 3 including aconveyor on said carriage in the vicinity of the discharge side of saiddrums.
 5. A device as in claim 3 including a bar disposed parallel tosaid drums, and means on said carriage for pivotally housing said bar toswing away from and toward one of said drums for guiding said paperstrip around said one of said drums and between said drums.
 6. A devideas in claim 3 including a scraper in scraping relationship with one ofsaid drums.
 7. A device as in claim 3 including a brush positioned tobrush raisins from said tensioned strip.
 8. A device as in claim 1including a belt conveyor mounted to extend forwardly of said carriageand to support said strip of paper between the ground and said grippingmeans, and means on said carriage for driving said conveyor.
 9. A deviceas in claim 8 including a presser wheel adapted to rest on the upper runof said belt conveyor.
 10. A device as in claim 9 including means forlifting and lowering said presser wheel.
 11. A device as in claim 8including means for lifting and lowering said belt conveyor.
 12. Adevice as in claim 1 in which said operating means is effective totension said strip sufficiently to lift said strip into a substantiallycatenary curve.